The invention relates to an arrangement for controlling an automatically shifting transmission for a motor vehicle having a first selecting device, by which at least the driving positions (for example, “P”, “R”, “N”, “D”) adjustable in an automatic mode can be set, and having a second selecting device (for example, +/−“paddles” at the steering wheel) by which an immediate upshifting and downshifting can be triggered.
Such an arrangement is known, for example, from German Patent Document DE 197 36 406 A1. This known arrangement has a first selecting device in the form of a selector lever by which the driving positions P, R, N, D adjustable in an automatic mode can be set. By way of a second selecting device in the form of a steering wheel having two switches, the gears of the transmission can be manually upshifted or downshifted in steps in a manual mode. The known arrangement has an electronic transmission control device that is customary in the case of automatic transmissions or automated manual transmissions.
The basic idea of the arrangement known from German Patent Document DE 197 36 406 A1 is that the manual mode is activated by actuating the second selecting device starting from the automatic mode.
In the case of the arrangement known from German Patent Document DE 10 2004 051 639 A1, as an alternative to the previously mentioned basic idea, when actuating the second selecting device, starting from the automatic mode, an immediate upshifting and downshifting, respectively, is permitted but no transition is carried out into the manual mode. A gear change following this upshifting and downshifting, respectively, is again carried out corresponding to the shifting logic of the automatic mode.
In the case of a multiple actuation of the second selecting device, multiple immediate upshifts or downshifts may also be permitted.
The temporary manual mode or the manually immediately permitted gear change starting from the automatic mode is normally maintained until certain conditions are present for the return to the automatic mode. In the simplest case, a condition for the return into the automatic mode may be the expiration of a predefined time period.
It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement of the above-mentioned type which improves the influencing capability of the driver.
According to the invention, this and other objects are achieved by an arrangement and method for controlling an automatically shifting transmission for a motor vehicle having a first selecting device, by which at least the driving positions adjustable in an automatic mode can be set, having a second selecting device by which an immediate upshifting and/or downshifting can be triggered, and having an electronic control unit which, as a function of signals of the first and second selecting devices and further input signals, triggers control elements of the transmission. The control unit is configured such that, after actuation of the second selecting device, starting from an automatic mode, in a drive position, the next automatic gear change can only be carried out again in the automatic mode when, first, the second selecting device was actuated for a specified minimum duration and, second, the driver has terminated the actuation of the second selecting device.
By way of the arrangement according to the invention, when actuating the second selecting device, starting from the automatic mode, basically first an immediate upshifting or downshifting can be prompted and, as required, can be permitted if this is not prevented by a specified other condition. According to the invention, three alternatives are provided for the return to the automatic gear change control in the automatic mode:
Alternative 1
According to the invention, during a brief actuation of the second selecting device, a first or additional immediate upshifting or downshifting can be prompted or be triggered as required, and the current or thereby reached gear is maintained until, first, the duration of the actuation has reached a specified minimum duration and, second, the actuation of the second selecting device was terminated.
Alternative 2
When the second selecting device has a first operating element for the manual triggering of an upshift command and has a second operating element for the manual triggering of a downshift command, in addition or as an alternative, the event controlling the return may be the recognition of the simultaneously present opposite commands “downshift” and “upshift”.
Alternative 3
Likewise, in addition or as an alternative, after a first actuation of the second selecting device for the purpose of a manually prompted immediate upshifting or downshifting, a transition can immediately take place to the automatic gear change control according to an automatic mode, if subsequently, an actuation of the second selecting device takes place for the purpose of a gear change in a direction opposite thereto within a comparatively short time window.
In the following, the above three mentioned alternatives, which can be used separately or in a combination with one another, will be explained in greater detail.
As basically known from the state of the art, by way of the arrangement according to the invention, as a result of a corresponding programming of the electric control unit, during the actuation of the second selecting device, starting from the automatic mode, first an immediate upshifting or downshifting is permitted if this is not prevented by another condition. Furthermore, according to the invention, the duration of the actuation of the second selecting device can detected. If, immediately upon this actuation, an upshifting or downshifting was permitted, the thereby engaged gear will be maintained at least for the duration of the actuation of the second selecting device. As a result, the driver can deliberately determine the minimum duration of maintaining this gear. However, a return to the automatic gear change control in the automatic mode will take place only if the second selecting device was actuated for a specified minimum duration. Therefore, in the case of a brief actuation, a first or further immediate up- or downshifting can be triggered and the thereby reached gear will be maintained until, first, the duration of the actuation has reached a specified minimum duration, and, second, the actuation of the selecting device was terminated.
In addition or as an alternative, the second selecting device has a first operating element for the manual triggering of an upshift command and a second operating element for the manual triggering of a downshift command. The electronic control unit will then be configured such that, after a manually prompted (actually triggered or suppressed) immediate upshifting or downshifting, starting from the automatic mode, in the case of a joint actuation of the first operating element and the second operating element, preferably for a predefined time period, in the control unit, an immediate transition to the automatic gear shifting control takes place again according to the automatic mode. This return to the automatic gear shifting control is therefore not time-controlled, but rather is event-controlled. The event controlling the return is therefore the recognition of the simultaneously, or at least closely successively, present opposite commands “downshift” and “upshift”. The second possibility mentioned here will be implemented in detail as follows.
Independently of whether the second selecting device has only one operating element (for example, a shift paddle with + and − positions) or a first operating element for the manual triggering of an upshift command and a second operating element for the manual triggering of a downshift command (for example, + paddle and − paddle at the steering wheel), in addition or as an alternative, the control unit can be further developed as follows.
During a first actuation of the selecting device, for example, for the purpose of an upshifting, an immediate upshift can first be prompted. When, within a comparatively short time window after the letting-go of the corresponding operating element, the second selecting device is actuated for the purpose of a downshifting, this actuation leads back immediately to the automatic gear change control according to the automatic mode and, at first, not to the immediate downshifting. This control is analogously applicable, starting from a manually prompted immediate downshifting. Summarizing, the following therefore applies: After a first actuation of the second selecting device for the purpose of a manually prompted immediate upshifting or downshifting, an immediate transition takes place to the automatic gear change control according to the automatic mode, if subsequently an actuation of the second selecting device takes place for the purpose of a gear change opposite thereto within a comparatively brief defined time window.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of one or more preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.